Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

BRIEF RECOLLECTIONS OF SOME VACATION

RAMBLES, WITH THOUGHTS AND

GLEANINGS BY THE WAY.

"When thou haply seest

Some rare note-worthy object in thy travels,
Make me partaker of thy happiness."

"As odours, press'd in summer hours
From summer's bloom, remain
To soothe and comfort, till the flowers
Of Spring revive again,

So memory's magic wand restores
Gladness too bright to last,
And in a flood of music pours
Sweet echoes of the past."

دو

N recording these wanderings, of course, I do not write for the information of those who have gone over the ground themselves, nor for those who contemplate such rambles, as the world-known "Handbooks of John Murray, and Adam and Charles Black; the "Practical Guides," and the "special edition" of " Bradshaw's Continental Guide," will afford correct and ample information upon all points connected with such peregrinations.

I simply record my own impressions of places that I have visited, and people that I have seen, for the amusement of my friends and the entertainment of those who,

[blocks in formation]

from various causes, have never had the opportunity of seeing much beyond their own immediate homes.

In the autumn of one year I accepted the invitation of a friend, who had known me for a long period, to accompany him in a short trip to the Continent. Up to this time I had never gone out of sight of the white cliffs of my native land, and the thought of seeing something of foreign lands charmed me much.

Our route was Paris, via Southampton and Hâvre. On arriving at Hâvre we visited the museum and other places of note there. I was much struck with the different manners and customs of the people, so entirely unlike our own; and everything was new and interesting, so that it was with difficulty one could believe that so great a change could be found in a people living so near our own shores. To hear every one speaking a strange language, and at every point to be wanting some information which you could only obtain by asking, taxed our little stock of French very amusingly, and convinced us how truly valuable is a thorough knowledge of a language spoken by a great people so near our own shores.

The ride by rail from Hâvre to Paris is very picturesque; and I began to be convinced that Frenchmen may be justly proud of "La Belle France." I should have liked to have had a day to have looked over the fine old town of Rouen; but our time was limited, and we were booked through to Paris direct.

Paris more than came up to all that I had expected.

The day we arrived there was fine, and the atmosphere clear and beautiful. We engaged apartments in a pleasant street in the suburbs, near the Barrière de Clichy; and having deposited our luggage and refreshed ourselves, we sallied forth to see the great city. The cheerfulness and activity of the people, as well as the handsome and tastefully fitted-up shops of the principal streets, were objects of admiration. Our first dinner in Paris was a very unsatisfactory affair, though we appeared to have partaken

[blocks in formation]

of many dishes. We got on much better at breakfast: the nice fancy bread and beautiful butter, with the incomparable coffee, made us praise our neighbours very much. The substantial meat-breakfasts of our own land are needed by the difference of climate; but such a meal in Paris would never be thought of.

The atmosphere, though so clear and light, I found very enervating; there seemed to be nothing for the lungs to bite at. The streets, though well watered, were not cool, and there was a disagreeable, faint, vegetable odour about them which was sickly and unpleasant. Frenchmen may, however, well be proud of such streets as the Rue Richelieu, St. Honoré, and Vivienne. We wandered along, almost unconscious of the distances we were traversing, being so much taken up with admiration at the Place Royale, the Place Vendôme, the Place de la Concorde, the Place des Victoires, the Place de la Bastile, the Place Richelieu, and others, too numerous to be noted down, but which are familiar enough to all our country cousins who have visited Paris. Our apartments overlooked pretty gardens, and the backs of some large houses in an adjoining street. I was not a little amused to see the windows thrown open, and men come out upon the balconies to shake the bed-clothes, and then help the women to make the beds. I can hardly imagine some of my friends in England doing this. A fellow that we saw every morning engaged in these domestic duties with his wife, went about his work very cheerfully, and enlivened us by whistling some lively tunes. One of these he gave us so frequently that I find myself even now often whistling it.

On the next day we visited the Palace of the Tuileries and the Louvre, where we spent some delightful hours in gazing upon the statuary and pictures, and were much interested in the fine collection of models of marine architecture. We returned again and again to the Louvre, and every time with renewed admiration. It is a truly magnificent collection, and is displayed with the most

Imperial Library, etc.

225

exquisite taste. The contrast with our own national collection, in point of arrangement, tells most unmistakeably in favour of our neighbours over the way.

We missed seeing the Imperial Library, in consequence of its being closed for some purpose, during the week we remained in Paris, and could only look up at the fine building in the Rue Richelieu, containing perhaps the largest, if not the choicest, collection of books in Europe. Our own National Library is rapidly coming up to it in point of numbers; and from all accounts there is no comparison as to the superior facilities afforded to readers who use our own magnificent reading-room, and those who seek to make themselves acquainted with the Imperial Library of France.

A stroll round the colonnade of the Palais Royale, to look at the shop windows, was a never-ending source of amusement to us. Frenchmen certainly possess the happy knack of displaying their wares to the best advantage. We may be" a nation of shopkeepers," but we have yet to learn the art of setting out a window in a way properly to display the articles for sale, and at the same time please the eye and not offend the taste.

The bridges are numerous, and some of them highly picturesque. The elegant suspension bridge De la Cité, with its ornamental Gothic gates at either end, is very beautiful; and so is the Pont Neuf, the largest and most frequented in Paris: but I do not recollect any that will bear a comparison in all respects with our London, Waterloo, and Westminster bridges.

We visited most of the principal churches, and I suppose the palm must be yielded to the Cathedral of Notre Dame, though I confess I was far more pleased with the exterior than the interior of that most noble building. The interior of most of the continental cathedrals that I have seen very much disappointed me, with the exception of Strasbourg and Cologne; there is, for the most part, so much bright ornament and colouring that meet the eye on every side, and such a close and vitiated atmosphere

Q

[blocks in formation]

from the constant daily services, that I always felt glad to get outside and breathe the fresh air.

The Madeleine is a splendid temple; but it hardly looks like a place dedicated to religious services. We were much pleased, however, with the choral and instrumental service there, and heard a very earnest sermon from no mean preacher. We saw the sacrament of the Eucharist administered, and were not a little amused to see afterwards the collecting-bag handed round by a tall footman with a cocked hat.

We visited the far-famed Pantheon, or, as it is now called, the Church of Saint Genéviève. It is unquestionably a fine building, but nothing about it to inspire the mind of the beholder with lofty aspirations and noble resolves. The fact that the remains of two of the greatest minds that France has produced repose there,-Voltaire and Rousseau, -excite a melancholy train of thought, to think that such commanding talents should have been devoted to blot out the name, if that were possible, of that benign and beautiful religion introduced by Jesus Christ, and which blesses and ennobles any nation that will listen to its sacred teaching, and yield a willing obedience to its heavenly laws. What would France be if it were thoroughly imbued with a real and life-giving Christianity!

Our visit to the Jardin des Plantes was a most pleasant and agreeable one. It shows the desirableness of combining in one place, where it can be accomplished, not only the living animals and birds, but also a complete collection of prepared specimens, in order that the natural history student may have the two-fold advantage of studying the objects, both living and dead. Such an arrangement in our own National Museum would not only be a boon to the student of that particular branch of science, but would also afford room for the more ample development of other departments which it is desirable should not be separated.

The fine collection in the Museum of the Luxembourg, of paintings by modern artists, afforded us a rich treat.

« ZurückWeiter »